How far can the lusting of power drive one innocent man? William Shakespeare composed a classic drama entitled “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, which took place in Scotland. Throughout the play, Macbeth attempted to gain power by becoming king. Although he succeeded, the process definitely led him down a path of destruction. Ambition highly influenced many of the characters: Macbeth was willing to do anything to get to the throne, Lady Macbeth was even more eager to become queen, and finally Macduff abandoned his family for Scotland. Ambition is a pro-dominant theme throughout this adventurous drama.
To begin with, Macbeth was a brave and well-respected nobleman of Scotland but once he heard the witches’ prophecy, his ambition intensified. He was
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He deserted his family and fled to England to assist Malcolm. When he reached Malcolm, he declared, “O nation miserable, with an untitled tyrant bloody-sceptered, when shalt thou see thy wholesome days again.” (Act II, scn iii, ln 103-106) This quote means, the nation was being ruled by the murderous tyrant, Macbeth, and Macduff only wished to see peaceful days again. More evidence of his ambition is shown through “Come, go we to the king. Our power is ready; our lack is nothing but our leave. Macbeth is ripe for shaking, and the powers above put on their instruments.” (Act iv, scn iii, ln 243-246) Macduff was certain that Macbeth would be destroyed and Malcolm would become King of Scotland. As Macbeth’s leadership demolished more lives, Macduff’s ambition to take down Macbeth grew stronger. Ultimately, this authentic evidence clearly demonstrates the ambition of the characters. Macbeth showed his determination through his pretension to be crowned king of Scotland. Lady Macbeth’s ambition was revealed through her strong desire for power and control. Macduff’s motive for Malcolm to become king was demonstrated through his battle with Macbeth. Overall, the characters in The Tragedy of Macbeth did whatever it took to reach their goals and even went to the extremes of killing to fulfill their
Throughout the play we see Macbeth continuously dig himself deeper into this hole where he is committing murder and destroying his reputation, sanity, and family. He seeks the throne and succumbs to the ambition sacrificing his morals. It seems Macbeth crafts this character who puts all sense of ambition before any morals or principles to show how dangerous that can be. Throughout Shakespeare’s
Most of the characters who were killed in the play died off stage and Macbeth was killed on stage this shows that due to his evilness and the crimes he committed Shakespeare showed that this is what will happen to you and too much ambition is not a good
The play entitled Macbeth by William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth, a loyal and brave thane to the king. When a prophecy reveals he will become king, Macbeth is overcome with ambition and greed. Convinced of this prophecy and the encouragement from his wife, he is able to kill the king and take the throne. Although Macbeth was able to obtain the throne, he was was overwhelmed by power and guilt leading to internal conflict, which suggests that success is not desirable through cheating and corruption and ultimately cost more than its actually worth, Macbeth`s reckless pursuit of killing and becoming the king is representative of the power he has and what he is able to do with the power he's gained; therefore. His relentless ambition for king reveals the guilt behind power.
Macbeth Essay In Macbeth one of the most notable aspects of the famous literary work is the underlying themes about unbridled ambition and the dangers that can come from it. The play paved the way for many “Cliche” characters and plot elements that are still used today. What really made Macbeth stand out is the relatability of the characters. It is easier to understand a flawed character than a perfect hero figure, because everyone is inherently flawed.
Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.
Like all of Shakespeare’s other plays, “Macbeth’s” protagonist Macbeth is incredibly successful but suffers from one fatal flaw, his great ambition. His ambition will be the cause of his great success but ultimately also of his downfall. The man’s ambition drives him to seize every opportunity to promote his own agenda. His ambition hurts him the most when he decides to kill King Duncan and Macduff.
Macduff went to England to find Malcolm, King Duncan’s son, who fled Scotland so he would not be killed like his father. Macbeth no longer considers Macduff loyal to him and becomes apprehensive. Macbeth consorts with the murderers again to kill Macduff’s family, “give to the edge o’ the sword his wife, babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (Act 4, Scene 1). When a messenger comes to deliver the news to Macduff, he becomes sad but Malcolm tells him “… Let grief convert to anger…” (Act 4, Scene 3).
Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.
Macbeth... the valiant warrior who turned against himself due to an inner greediness for power. It all starts at the beginning when he gets “promoted” to Thane of Cawdor because of his excellent fighting skills and bravery in battle. Then if that’s not enough the three witches tell him he will be king. With the taste of power he has now gotten through his promotion, he can’t help but take what the witches say to heart. He wants more, he wants it faster: he continues to be impatient and eventually his “vaulting ambition o’erleaps itself and falls on thy other” (1.7.26-28).
Greed for power leads corrupt leaders to pursue power through ruthless and violent ways, putting their countries in an unstable state. Macbeth commits murders and violent acts to earn his absolute power, but his corrupt mindset of yearning power leads to instability in the Scotland. After hearing from the witches, Macbeth admits that, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical/ Shakes so my single state of man/ That function is smother'd in surmise /and nothing is but what is not.”
The motivation for Malcolm to become king is proven when he leaves to save his life and gain the support of the king of England, which will bring him closer to overthrowing Macbeth, and gaining the throne. Likewise, Malcolm`s ambition to become king is seen when he convinces Macduff to get revenge in Macbeth for killing his family. Malcolm is so overcome by his desire and goal, that he encourages Macduff to take ``great revenge/ [and t]o cure the deadly grief`(4.iii.253-254) of losing his family. One can clearly interpret that although Macbeth and Macduff are just recently informed of the killing of Macduff`s family, Malcolm is once again filled with motivation to overthrow Macbeth, instead of grieve for theA man`s ambition and desire influence his decisions in life. This is seen when Malcolm’s motivation in the play Macbeth by Shakespeare is his desire to be crowned king to get back his father’s throne.
Macbeth’s ambition is one of the most prominent things that drive Macbeth in the play and truly becomes evident when he hears of the Witches prophecies. When the witches stop talking, he demands to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (I, III, 73-74). This portrays his excessive curiosity on the subject as well as his craving for more desirable prophecies. This ambitious nature and craving for power is also demonstrated only moments after hearing the witches, when he starts formulating a plan to kill Duncan in order to make the third prophecy come true.
After Macduff flees the country to meet up with Duncan's heir and plan an invasion of Scotland, Macbeth, almost instinctively, orders the murder of Macduff’s “wife, his babies, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in this line” (4.1.173-174). Both of the other murders were at least for understandable reasons, but this murder reveals how truly psychopathic Macbeth is, as the only reason for this murder is to get back at Macduff. This murder, finally, shows everybody in the British Isles Macbeth’s true
At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.
Macbeth is also a power hungry man who would do just about anything to achieve his goal of becoming King. When Macbeth first hears the prophecies from the three witches he instantly became invested with the journey to become king. Similar to Lady Macbeth, nothing was going to come between him and his potential power, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man. That function is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.52-55). This quote exemplifies how Macbeth’s initial solution to becoming king was murder.